The present invention relates to bathing enclosures and in particular to enclosure wall structures having an accessory moveable mounted thereon.
A variety of bathtub and shower enclosures are well known. Typically, an enclosure includes three walls (in the case of a lateral wall enclosure) or two walls (in the case of a corner enclosure) to define a showering/bathing area. The enclosure walls can be tiled or made of a water resistant material, such as glass or plastic. An opening to the enclosure is generally closed off by a door or curtain which allows entry into the enclosure while preventing water from splashing outside the enclosure.
The tub/shower can be a formed insert with surrounding walls. U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,380 discloses such a bath/shower insert in which the surround walls have a horizontal seam allowing an upper section of the walls to be separated for transport prior to installation.
Free-standing and portable shower stalls have also been devised. See e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,609,773 and 4,807,310. These shower stalls have wall segments that connect together along vertical seams to form a four-sided enclosure with a door or curtain covered opening. The walls may have openings to vent the enclosure.
It is also known to mount accessory fixtures inside a bathing enclosure. Common accessories include shelves, dishes, racks and hooks for holding various personal hygiene items, such as soaps, hair products, shaving implements, exfoliators and cloths. These accessories are typically permanently mounted to the enclosure walls and/or the door using anchored fasteners or waterproof adhesives. Alternatively, they may be integrally formed with the enclosure wall. Once the accessory is mounted in place it cannot be relocated easily, and even if it were re-installed elsewhere, the unsightly damage done to the original mounting surface would become visible.
Other shower accessories mounting systems have been devised. A “shower caddy” is one such accessory which includes a hook or strap that fits around the spout of the shower head. The shower caddy has one or more small shelves typically used to hold shampoo bottles and razors.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 505,360 and 970,485 disclose soap holders with inverted U-shaped hooks at one end that can be used to hang the soap holders from a side of the tub. U.S. Pat. No. 3,140,557 discloses a soap dish on a long hanger with either a hooked end to fit around the shower curtain rod or a holed end for fitting onto a shower curtain ring.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,998,304 discloses a more sophisticated system in which the accessory has a flanged end that fits within a track in the frame header. The accessory can be slid horizontally in the track to change its position.
While the accessory systems of the aforementioned patents allow for some position adjustment, many are somewhat unstable and some may interfere with entering and exiting the enclosure. Moreover, the degree of adjustment is typically quite limited.
Thus, a need exists for an improved system for enclosing bathing areas and moveably mounting bathing accessories thereon.